Objectives «greatly achieved», bridges created and a new edition already scheduled. The 1st Medical Congress of the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA), which took place on Friday and yesterday, Saturday, the 24th and 25th, in Albufeira, was «a success», in the view of the members of the Board of Directors of the hospitals Algarve.
«The objectives of the congress were largely achieved. The discussions had a very high scientific level. The interventions were very interesting and we can see here what is done so well in our institution», summarized Ana Varges Gomes, the president of the Board of Directors of CHUA, after the closing session of the congress, which brought together two hundred participants at the Hotel Nau S. Gabriel Atlântico.
«The objective was to show what is done daily at CHUA, in terms of practice and research and, basically, to share our daily work with the scientific community», he illustrated.
«On the other hand, the moment we had here served to strengthen relationships both between professionals in the house and with professionals from other hospitals in the country and outside Portugal. It is from this interconnection that projects, knowledge and collaborations are born, so it is a very important moment», added Ana Varges Gomes.
Moments earlier, Horácio Guerreiro, clinical director of CHUA, had already stressed the importance of holding this congress as a way of «creating bridges with prestigious national and foreign institutions and asserting CHUA as a center of clinical knowledge, research and training» .
Also in the closing session, cardiologist Manuel José Veloso Gomes was honored for his professional career, «which inevitably contributed to the growth of Hospital de Faro and, more recently, the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve, as well as its civic intervention in the various domains of Algarve and national society».
The «CHUA Excellence Award» was also awarded to the doctor Miguel Cunha «for his contribution as the first author of the article «Environmental Effects of Surgical Procedures and Strategies for Sustainable Surgery» published in 2022 in a scientific journal with the highest impact factor» and awards to the authors of the best posters on display during the congress, namely Jorge Miguel Mimoso (1st prize), Inês Miguel (2nd prize) and Ângela Serafim (3rd prize).
«I think the organization is to be congratulated, as a very interesting event was created here», concluded the president of the Board of Directors of CHUA, who also revealed that the next edition of the congress has already been scheduled: «It will be on the 23rd and 24th of February 2024».
Two very busy days
In this first Medical Congress at the Algarve hospital centre, national and international specialists debated some of the most relevant topics in clinical practice, «addressing matters of high interest to the Health and Science community and the general population through the various debate panels , namely “Women's Health”, “Children's Health”, “Cardiovascular Medicine”, “Oncology”, “Palliative Care”, “Intensive Care Medicine” and “Surgery”», according to CHUA.
The last day was dedicated to “Intensive Care Medicine” and featured the intervention of Gabriel Heras, from the Hospital Universitario de Torrejón, who spoke about “Humanization in Intensive Care Medicine Services”.
Still on this topic, Cristina Granja, from Hospital de São João, made known the “ICU without doors”. The panel was chaired by Daniel Nuñez, director of the Department of Emergency, Urgency and Intensive Care at CHUA, and moderated by Nuno Pereira and Javier Moreno, physicians at CHUA.
The last topic highlighted in the congress was dedicated to “Surgery”, divided into two parts, the first panel chaired by Joaquim Pedro Correia, director of the CHUA Neurosurgery Service, and moderated by Clara Romero and Lia Pappamikail, CHUA physicians.
In this panel, Pedro Lima, from Centro Hospitalar do Funchal, presented the “New Tools in the Treatment of Brain Tumors: Neuronavigation, Functional MRI and Tractography. Cortical Stimulation and Use of the 5-Wing”.
“Vertebro-medullary injuries: past, present and future” was the theme presented by Joaquim Pedro Correia.
The “Laparoscopic Approach to Abdominal Wall Hernias in 2023” was in charge of Salvador Moralles-Conde, from the Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocio, in Seville.
Manuel Limbert, from the Portuguese Institute of Oncology, reflected on the “Surgical approach to peritoneal carcinomatosis”.
The second and last panel dedicated to the theme of “Surgery” was chaired by Martins dos Santos, director of the Surgery Service I, and moderated by Juan Rachadell and Jorge Moleiro, CHUA surgeons.
On Friday, the first day of the congress, Thiago Carvalho, researcher and immunologist, gave the inaugural lecture, reflecting on fundamental scientific research and the limits of translation (Basic research and the limits of translation).
On this first day, topics such as «Women's Health» were discussed, where Fernanda Águas, from the Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Coimbra, spoke about «Technology and Innovation in Gynecology». In turn, in this panel, Fernando Guerreiro, from the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve, addressed the theme of «Technology and Innovation in Obstetrics». The panel was moderated by Virgílio Flor and Ana Paula Silva, from CHUA.
On the panel «Saúde da Criança», Vânia Beliz, from the University of Minho, addressed the issue of «Identity and Sexuality in Children and Adolescents». The panel was chaired by Maria José Castro, director of the Department for Children, Adolescents and Families, and moderated by Maria João Virtuoso, a CHUA physician.
Scott Bowen, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, spoke on "Epigenetic Markers of Cardiovascular Disease". Ana Manovel, from Hospital de Huelva, addressed the theme “Physical Exercise: Benefits and Risks” in this panel. The «Cardiovascular Medicine» panel was chaired by Ignacio Moreno and moderated by Anabela Guedes, André Florêncio and Francisco Raposo, from CHUA.
The «Oncology» panel, chaired by Irene Furtado, from CHUA, was moderated by Paulo Caldeira and Magda Cordeiro, both CHUA physicians. Nuno Rama, from Centro Hospitalar de Leiria, addressed the «Neoadjuvant Treatment in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: The New TNT».
Edgar Amorim, from CHUA, presented the «Impact of the Creation of a Reference Center for the Treatment of Rectal Cancer in the Algarve Region – 6 Year Experience».
The first day of the congress ended with the panel «Palliative Care». Chaired by Luísa Arez, from CHUA, and moderated by Isabel Galriça Neto, from Hospital da Luz, Lisbon, by Giovanni Cerullo and Lourdes Cabezuelo, from CHUA, the panel addressed the theme «Organization of Palliative Care: Hospice and Specialty in Palliative Medicine , yes or no?”, in a talk given by Sebastiano Mercadante, from La Maddalena Cancer Center, in Palermo.
Begoña Garcia, from the University of Huelva, addressed the issue of the «Death Process and Palliative Care in the Community». Catarina Pazes, from the Portuguese Association of Palliative Care, was responsible for the intervention on the «Development of Palliative Care in Portugal».
Photos: CHUA
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